Nearly 400 million years ago, the first creature to set foot on our landmass had its footsteps preserved in stone.

Since then, dinosaurs, woolly mammoths, giants elks, brown bears and wolves have all lived on our land at one time or another.

Then there are the plants which took root and flourished here over the course of millions of years.

But it is the impact of the Ice Age when our biological slate was wiped clean which impacts most heavily on the story of our native plants and animals. How did they manage to get to our island home when the ice retreated?

Find out in this section which exmaines the impact of the Ice Age on our plant and animal life, and which chronicles the arrivals and extinctions which took place throughout our history.

Navigate through this section using the links on the right---------->